Ambition
by Tigerstar767
Summary: A she-kit is born with ambition to become leader. The Dark Forest sees this as a chance, and trains her. Soon, she is willing to kill to achive her ambition. Will the forest perish under her ambition, or become stronger? Please R&R! Rated T just in case.
1. Allegiances

ALLEGIANCES

**ThunderClan**

**LEADER: **Stonestar- Dark gray tom, with amber eyes (8 lives)

**DEPUTY: **Nightfur- Powerful black tom, with green eyes

**MEDICINE CAT: **Yellowstone- A light cream tom, with blue eyes

**WARRIORS: (Toms and she-cats without kits)**

Logfur: Solid brown tom, with sharp yellow eyes

Apprentice: Rockpaw

Snowheart: White she-cat, with light blue eyes

Sunstripe: Pale golden tom, with flame-colored stripes, and amber eyes

Ferntail: Small brown she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Seapaw

Skyfur: Blue-gray she-cat, with blue eyes

Bravesoul: A strong brown tom, with yellow eyes

Apprentice: Splashpaw

Applefur: Slender flame colored she-cat, with green eyes

Fireblaze: Flame colored tom, with green eyes

Redfur: Russet she-cat with dark green eyes

Apprentice: Dapplepaw

Longclaw: Gray tom, with light amber eyes

Apprentice: Saberpaw

Grasswhisker: Gray and white she-cat with amber eyes and long whiskers

Woodpatch: White tom, with brown splashes and amber eyes

Apprentice: Warmpaw

**APPRENTICES (More than six moons and in training to become warriors)**

Rockpaw: a stocky gray tom, with blue eyes

Seapaw: a blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Dapplepaw: a tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Splashpaw: a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes

Saberpaw: A gray tom with amber eyes and long front teeth

Warmpaw: A pretty, slender, pale gray she-cat with amber eyes and flecks of gold in her eyes

Whitepaw: Black she-cat with white paws/chest and green eyes

**QUEENS (She-cats expecting, or with kits)**

Lakepool: Beautiful slender blue-gray she-cat with matching lake-blue eyes (Unknown)

Darkshade: Dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes (Bravesoul)

Cloudmist: Long haired silver she-cat with fluffy tail and blue eyes

**KITS (All cats under six moons)**

Lakepool's

Waterkit: A pale blue-gray she-kit, with blue eyes

Duskkit: A pale golden-brown tom, with amber eyes

Darkshade's

Tigerkit: A dark brown tabby she-kit with bright amber eyes

Amberkit: A brown she-kit with amber eyes and amberish paws

Dustkit: A brown tom with orange-amber eyes

Cloudmist's

Stormkit: A silver Bengal she-cat with blue eyes

**ELDERS (Former warriors and queens, now retired)**

Tornclaw: A patchy gray tom with amber eyes

Treebark: a brown tom with amber eyes and twisted paw

Flowerpetal: a golden she-cat with green eyes

Straightwhisker; Gray tom with white muzzle, and foggy blue eyes


	2. Chapter 1

Bramblestar looked down at the glittering pool, showing a kit, safe and sound, curled up with her siblings. "She will be too ambitious for her own good!" A light brown tabby exclaimed. Bramblestar hissed in frustration. "That was the fifth time you said that, Leafpool." he growled. Leafpool looked down. "Sorry." "It's fine. Just don't say it again." The dark brown tom replied. A mottled black-and-white tom padded up. "She is my daughter's kit. She will do _no _harm." Bramblestar took a sideways glance at him. "You know that isn't true. We have prophesized her ambition many times." The black and white tom bowed his head. "I know." He looked very sad and fragile suddenly. A black-brown she-cat walked up, and put her head up to his, running her muzzle across his jaw. "I know, my love. But she may be destined for greatness too. Even StarClan doesn't know everything." The tom straightened. "You are right, Blacktail." He said, nodding. A fiery tom emerged from the shadows. "Mottlestar." He meowed, looking at the mottled tom. "We will try to do everything we can to keep her and the forest from a dangerous threat." "Yes, Firestar, yes we will." All the cats separated, going different directions.

Yellowstone looked at Darkshade. "Two she-cats and one tom. And eat this." He told her with a hint of pride in his soft meow, and shoved her a few herbs. It was his first time delivering kits, without his mentor, Greengrass, who died of a fox attack two moons ago. He sighed at the memory. "Thank you, Yellowstone." Darkshade whispered, snapping Yellowstone out of his thoughts. Darkshade ate the herbs, pulling a face. "Bravesoul! You may come in!" The Medicine cat called. A brown tom burst in the nursery. Darkshade looked at the brown tom, Bravesoul. "What should we name them?" She asked. "Two she-cats and one tom." She added. Bravesoul touched the tom gently with his tail. "Dustkit." He decided. Darkshade purred. "Perfect." Yellowstone looked at Dustkit. Dustkit was a brown tom. "And Amberkit." Bravesoul told her. This kit was brown also but with an unusual amber front paw. "Let me pick a name!" Darkshade teased. She looked at the last kit. The kit was brown, like her father, but with black tabby stripes. "Tigerkit." Darkshade murmured. "Dustkit, Amberkit and Tigerkit." Bravesoul confirmed. A blue-gray she cat walked in, with two kits following. "Wow, you've had your kits. Congratulations. They're beautiful!" She exclaimed. "Thank you, Lakepool." Bravesoul meowed warmly. "Ooh! New playmates!" One of Lakepool's kits squealed. "Hush, Duskkit. You can't play with them right now. Maybe in a moon or half." "Aww!" The other kit pouted. "You can go play with Rockpaw and Seapaw." Lakepool suggested. "Ok!" Yellowstone padded after the kits. "Bye!" Darkshade called. She turned to Bravesoul. "Can you get me some wet moss?" She asked. Bravesoul straightened. "Of course!" He replied. The brown tom raced out of the nursery. "Lakepool settled down in her own nest. "My kits exhaust me." She said her voice barely audible. "But, obviously I still love them." "Of course. And you take great care of them. Skyfur is a fantastic warrior." Darkshade praised, talking about Lakepool's first kit. "Thanks." Lakepool whispered, then put her head down and closed her eyes. Bravesoul walked in. "Here," he said quietly, placing the moss down. Darkshade nodded. "Thank you." She bent her head to lap up the water from the moss. "Bye!" He called softly as he left the nursery. Darkshade flicked her ear to show she had heard. The dark brown tabby looked at her kits and licked each on the head. Slowly, she fell asleep.

-The next day Sunhigh -

Tigerkit yawned, and flexed her claws. Voices from outside told her that many cats were awake. "Come _on _Saberpaw. Today we're practicing battle moves." Excitement twitched in her stomach. _Battle moves._ The words echoed in her head. _There can't be any other better way than to fight to protect your Clan, can there? Well beside a medicine cat. But herbs can't fight battles, or mark borders on the territory. _The word _territory _created more excitement. Slowly, she opened her eyes. She blinked. The nursery was so much different than she expected! Brambles stretched over the ceiling. She looked at her mother, the most familiar scent. She was a slender dark tabby with a soft looking muzzle. Tigerkit looked behind her shoulder. To her delight, she looked like her mother, but with black stripes. Tigerkit looked at her siblings, a tom and a she-kit. The she-kit-Amberkit, was brown, her (A/N {left}) front paw amber. Tigerkit's gaze traveled to her brother- Dustkit-he was brown, with not a speck of another color. She looked at the other kits. A long-haired silver tabby lay with a kit next to her. Tigerkit guessed the tabby was Cloudmist, judging from her pelt. And the kit was most likely Silverkit, rumored to be Yellowstone's next apprentice, was a silver Bengal she-kit with the faint scent of herbs clinging to her. Then Lakepool, who Tigerkit knew immediately, because Lakepool chatted with Darkshade, so long that Tigerkit, knew her scent. Lakepool had two kits, a tom and a she-kit. The she-kit, a pale blue-gray kit, looked almost identical to Lakepool. The tom, a pale golden-brown kit, looked nothing like his mother. Waterkit, and Duskkit, Tigerkit recalled. A faint stirring beside her signaled that her mother was awaking. "You've opened your eyes!" Darkshade sounded delighted. "What color are they?" Tigerkit asked, curious. "Amber." "Have Amberkit or Dustkit opened _their _eyes yet" The kit mewed. "Nope. But they should soon." Darkshade replied. As if to confirm her answer, Dustkit moved and opened his eyes. He blinked twice, to make his sight clearer. "Darkshade?" He meowed. "Yes, and this is Tigerkit." Darkshade purred. Slowly, Dustkit stood up. He shook himself, trying to wake himself up more. Tigerkit rose up and copied him. "Great, kits!" Darkshade praised. "Getting hyper, huh?" A voice said behind them. Tigerkit whipped around to see Lakepool up and washing herself. Duskkit and Waterkit were lolloping towards the door. "Bye!" They called in unison. Cloudmist and Silverkit both moved at the noise. Cloudmist opened her eyes and shifted herself up. Silverkit opened her eyes too, and then bounced. "Hi, Tigerkit. Hi, Dustkit. Tell Amberkit I said hi, too, please. Can I go to Yellowstone?" Tigerkit nodded. "Okay." Cloudmist rolled her eyes. "Of course!" "Bye." Silverkit mewed, and then walked out of the den. Amberkit rolled over, and let out a small 'mew.' "Well, I'm going to get prey. Anyone care to come?" Lakepool asked. "Sure; I'll come." Cloudmist answered. "I'm going to stay." Darkshade said. "Okay." Lakepool mewed. As the two queens walked out of the door Amberkit moved again. She stuck out her amber paw. "Wake up, Amberkit!" Dustkit urged. Amberkit opened her eyes, slowly, like the sun rising over the trees. She squinted, blinked, and then opened her eyes. "Yours are amber too!" Darkshade purred. Amberkit jumped up, suddenly looking very excited. "Can we go outside?" She asked. "Yes, but be careful." "Okay!" The kits exclaimed happily. Tigerkit raced out of the den. _Wow! _ The camp had many leafy trees, but sunlight filtered through them, lighting the camp up. Something pushed her forwards awkwardly. She ran up a fox-length. "Let's explore the camp, now!"

-Night-Time-

Tigerkit checked to make sure no cat was awake. Exploring the camp was so much fun! But she wanted to explore _outside _the camp. Stealthily, she crept out of the nursery, then out of camp. She followed the most recent scent-Longclaw and Saberpaw. Tigerkit was now in the forest. After (A/N about 3 minutes) she picked up Longclaw and Saberpaws' voices. "No! Not like that! Pounce like _this."_ There was a large thud. Tigerkit peered out of the bush she was hiding in. Longclaw was on top of Saberpaw, his claws unsheathed and resting on the apprentice's neck. Tigerkit backed away. _That was a killing move!_


	3. Chapter 2

Tigerkit's POV

Tigerkit looked at the sun, slowly setting over the trees. The sky had changed from as pale blue as Yellowstone's eyes, to an orangish color. Birds chirped, far from camp, but their faint songs made the camp seem peaceful. Warriors spoke softly, sharing tongues, and telling each other about the day. Yellowstone was chatting with Stonestar, pointing with his tail to the herbs beside him. The camp seemed so peaceful, so at ease. "Come on, kits," Darkshade murmured, "On to the nursery." Tigerkit nodded. "Okay." As usual, Dustkit lead the way, Tigerkit in the middle, then Amberkit last. Tigerkit noticed the nursery looked bigger. Then she realized it was bigger, without Cloudmist's nest. Darkshade lay down. Tigerkit, Dustkit, and Amberkit snuggled beside her. "Sweet dreams," Darkshade meowed softly. Tigerkit slowly closed her eyes, letting darkness sweep over her, like a raven's wing. * * * Tigerkit opened her eyes. She was in a dark green forest. Tigerkit opened her mouth, just as Bravesoul had instructed her to do. _Mouse! _Shifting down into the hunting crouch, she flattened her tail to the ground. Crawling forward, she pounced. The mouse scurried from underneath her paws. Tigerkit chased after it, and slammed her claws on to its back. She opened her mouth, preparing to eat it, but before she could, a voice sounded behind her. "Hello." She whirled around, to see a dark brown tabby tom, with a scar running down his chest to stomach. "Who are you?" the kit asked

Tigerkit looked at him suspiciously. "Why shouldn't I?" The tom put his tail over his paws. "My name is Tigerstar." Tigerkit paused. "_Tiger_star?" Tigerstar nodded. "Yes. I'm not sure, but I think I am your name stake." Tigerkit widened her eyes. "Why?" Tigerstar purred a deep rumble in his chest. "We are kin. It's a long story, but my son had kits. Then his kits had kits. And then, in that last generation, Darkshade was in that litter." Tigerkit's eyes brightend. "Okay!" Tigerstar's eyes traveled to her mouse. "Do the hunting crouch," he commanded. Immediately, Tigerkit did the crouch, legs stiff, tail flat to the ground, head straight. "I know how to help you with that," Tigerstar offered. "Great!" Tigerkit replied, still in her crouch. "First of all, hold your tail erect." Tigerkit obeyed. "Okay, then relax it a bit - no, not on the ground again - just keep it where it was, but loosen up a tad." Tigerstar nodded. "That's it. Then same with the legs. Relax them a bit, but keep them ready to spring. Bunch them up closer to your stomach. Yes!" Tigerkit's eyes shined, and then dulled. "I wish I was an apprentice," she moaned. Tigerstar sat up straight. "Well, I'll make you a deal." Tigerkit looked up. "What?" Tigerstar looked at her, his eyes gleaming. "Well, currently, I have no apprentice. Do you want to be my apprentice?" Tigerkit froze. "What do I have to do? Yes, I want to!" "Well, three things. One, do whatever I tell commands I tell you. Two, tell _no one _about me. Three, work hard." Tigerkit sat up. "That's it?" "Yes, that's it." For a moment, there was silence. "…" Finally Tigerkit walked up to him. "I swear by StarClan that I will do those three things. Are you a StarClan cat?" Tigerstar narrowed his eyes, and dipped his head. Tigerkit jumped. "I knew it! I knew it!" Tigerstar stood up. "Now let's work on your crouch." Tigerstar smiled. _The destruction of the Clans has begun! _


	4. Chapter 3

**~ Four moons later~**

Tigerkit squeezed herself out of the nursery. "Amberkit! Dustkit! Do you want to go get prey?" Amberkit walked out next to Tigerkit. "Sure! I'm _starving!"_ Tigerkit turned around. "Where's Dustkit?" she asked. Amberkit shrugged. "Maybe he's already there." Tigerkit flicked her tail in annoyance. "Well, let's go. Waiting for him will just waste time." "Oh, will it?" a voice said from the nursery entrance. Tigerkit and Amberkit whirled around. Dustkit was standing behind them, in an attack crouch. Amberkit rolled her eyes. "Let's go." Dustkit stood up, and shook himself. "Fine." Once they were at the fresh-kill pile, Amberkit looked at them. "What do you feel like eating? I feel like mouse." Tigerkit pondered that for a second. "I really don't care. But yes, mouse does sound good." Dustkit nodded. "Same." Amberkit nosed the fresh-kill pile. "Here. And here," she meowed, tossing each of them a mouse, and grabbing one for herself. "Let's go to that sunny spot near the nursery." Dustkit grabbed his mouse. "'Kay," he muttered through a mouthful of mouse. Tigerkit twitched her ear. "Okay." Tigerkit swiftly ran up to the spot. She crouched down, and took a bite out of her mouse. Dustkit purred, and crouched next to her. Amberkit did the same. Dustkit looked up. "Delicious!" he declared, mouse all over his muzzle. Tigerkit stifled an _mrrp _of amusement. "Um, Dustkit? You've got a smidge of mouse on your face…" Dustkit swiped his tongue around his muzzle. "Hey," he protested, "That wasn't a '_smidge.'" _Tigerkit finished her mouse. "Let's go back to the nursery," she suggested. Amberkit nodded. "Sounds good." Dustkit heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Oka-ay." Tigerkit rolled her eyes and ran to the nursery. Darkshade was sleeping quietly. Suddenly, taking a nap sounded good. Tigerkit curled herself up into a ball. "I'm going to take a nap," she murmured. "Well, _obviously." _Dustkit whispered. Shutting everything out of her mind, she fell asleep. Tigerkit woke up to yowling. "Invasion!" Amberkit flattened her ears. Dustkit was up already, his fur bushed out. Darkshade sat up. Tigerkit raced out of the nursery. Saberpaw was hissing at a light gray she-cat. Yellowstone walked calmly out of his den. "Saberpaw. This is a medicine cat. You should know that." Saberpaw curled his lip and stormed away. Yelllowstone looked at Tigerkit. "Tigerkit, meet Rosewing, the WindClan medicine cat." Tigerkit dipped her head to Rosewing. Rosewing nodded back. "Nice to meet you," she purred. Turning to Yellowstone, she shook her head. "I'm sorry if I caused any disruptions." Yellowstone snorted. "It's okay. Saberpaw's just a bit…" He dropped his voice. "Aggressive. I've already used half my supplies on the apprentices; he goads them into fights." Rosewing looked sympathetic. "I know just what you mean. Anyways, I haven't come here just to gossip." Rosewing slid herbs over to him. "I promised I would bring you marigold." Yellowstone looked relieved. "Thanks. Grasswhisker has an infected cut." The pale gray she-cat shook her head. "No problem. I have a huge patch of marigold. Just ask." Yellowstone nodded. "Once again, thanks. And same goes for you. Just ask." "Bye, Yellowstone. Bye, Tigerkit." Rosewing dipped her head. "Bye," Tigerkit echoed. "See you in two sunrises." Yellowstone wrapped his tail over his paws. Rosewing turned, and walked out of the ThunderClan camp. Tigerkit looked at Yellowstone. WindClan, right?" she asked. Yellowstone nodded. "Yes, WindClan. Also, different Clans looked different than other clans, and you can usually tell which Clan they live in by that." "Like what?" Tigerkit meowed. "Well, for example, Windclan cats are more agile, and long legged than most cats, because they run for food. Riverclan cats are sleek furred, from the stream and their main prey, fish. ShadowClan cats are darker colors, and are quieter, because of their dark pine forest, and, well what's their Clan name? _Shadow_Clan. Clan names describe the cats living in one. And ThunderClan, as you already know, they have short fur usually, because most likely, if you have long fur, it will get caught on brambles and thorns. Also, ThunderClan are agile, but not in the same way as WindClan." Tigerkit nodded, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Yes, I'll try to remember that. Bye, Yellowstone!" "Bye," he called back, as Tigerkit ran to the nursery. As Tigerkit stopped at the nursery entrance, she looked at Yellowstone. Tigerkit rushed into the nursery. Dustkit bounded up. "Was it an invasion?" he asked. Tigerkit shook her head. "No, just the WindClan medicine cat," she replied. Dustkit growled. "I wish it _was," _he grumbled. Amberkit sighed. "You want warriors to be wounded and possibly killed?" she hissed. Dustkit scuffed his paws on the moss. "No, not really. I just want some action to happen." Tigerkit nudged her brother. "It's okay. I do too," she mewed. Darkshade lay down. "How 'bout you ask the elders for a story?" she suggested. Amberkit nodded. "Okay." Tigerkit padded over to the elders' den. "Come on, you slugs," she teased. Dustkit ran forwards. Amberkit snorted. Tigerkit walked in the elders' den. Flowerpetal, a golden she-cat beamed when the kit's walked in. "Hello, kits." Tornclaw, another elder, grunted a greeting. "Here for a story?" he rasped. Dustkit nodded. "If you have time." Flowerpetal purred. "So polite! And of course we have time. Do you want to hear about the Three?" Tigerkit nodded; this was her favorite story. "Well, once, not _too _long ago, but not recent, there lived three cats, named Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Jayfeather…."

**Sorry for the boring chapter! My mind is just blank, but I promise you, events will be happening in the next chapter! Oh, and I forgot to say, but this is a CAC cat story. The form is at the bottom. Please review,**

**~Tigerstar**

**Name:**

**Age: (optional)**

**Clan:**

**Appearance:**

**Rank: (Leader, med. Cat, apprentice, etc)**

**Personality**

**Other:**

**Notice: Do not use names that have already been used, and same goes for ranks(Leader and med. Cat) And this is just for fun! I **_**will**_** take it down soon!**


	5. Chapter 4

Tigerkit blinked open her eyes. She was in the Dark Forest. Tigerkit tilted her head back and sniffed the air. _Ferns, pines, birches, Tigerstar, mud- Tigerstar?_ She lowered her head, and headed in the direction the "Tigerstar" scent was. There! Tigerstar was sitting, his face twisted with an emotion. Anger? Sadness? Regret? Tigerkit ignored the thoughts, and crept behind him. She dropped in the attack crouch. Slowly, smoothly, she slithered up to him. She leaped up on his back. Tigerstar froze, obviously startled. As his paw flew towards her, she jumped, and he missed. Tigerkit jumped forwards, flipped, and faced him. Tigerkit looked at him. "Was that good?" she asked. Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but in a real battle, the enemy would be alert, to every flick of a tail, every paw step, and so on," he growled. Tigerkit nodded, her heart light of being praised. Tigerstar stood up, and shook himself. "Let's practice… defense," he decided. Tigerstar walked towards the training space. Tigerkit followed. "Ok, first let's do the belly-rake." Tigerstar flicked his ear. "Show me." Tigerkit lay on her back, imagining a cat pinning her down. She twisted her arm out of the imaginary cat's grip. Quickly, she unsheathed her claws, and raked them across the cat's belly. She imagined what the cat would do next. Most likely flinch, and try to defeat her. As her imaginary cat "flinched", she seized that as a chance to take control. She leaned forwards, so she was pinning the "cat" down. She raked her claws against the ground. "Stop," Tigerstar meowed. Tigerkit swallowed, and looked up. "It's nearly daylight for your Clan. And I have a meeting with some of my warriors." Tigerkit knead the ground, her claw digging into the soil. "When can _I _come?" she asked. Tigerstar stood. "When you're an apprentice, or when you show your loyalty," he muttered. He looked at her. "Go to your Clan," he meowed. Tigerkit dipped her head. "Okay." Tigerkit closed her eyes, and she began to fade.

Tigerkit woke up. She was alone in the nursery. Sobs and yowls came from outside. She rushed outside. A limp brown shape lay on the ground. As she got closer, she realized it wasn't any brown shape. It was Bravesoul. "No!" Tigerkit flung herself to Bravesoul. Amberkit looked small and fragile, her eyes glassy. Dustkit was beside Darkshade, his broad shoulders drooping. Darkshade was silent, looking at the sky. Tigerkit knew what she was thinking. _Why? Why take him?_ "All cats gather underneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting. Tigerkit smoothed her fur down, and helped her sister clean up. Dustkit was already clean. "ShadowClan will regret taking one of our warriors," Stonestar snarled, his voice shaking. "We will attack them soon. But for that we need strong warriors." He took a deep breath.. "Amberkit, Dustkit, and Tigerkit, come up." Cats parted, making way for the kits. Stonestar nodded to Amberkit. "From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Amberpaw. Snowheart, you are ready to receive an apprentice. You will be Amberpaw's mentor." Stonestar watched as the two cats touched noses and moved to the side. "Dustkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dustpaw. Sunstripe, you are a responsible, strong, and fair-minded warrior. You will be mentor to Dustpaw." The cats touched noses, and went to the side. Stonestar's gaze turned to Tigerkit. "Tigerkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Tigerpaw. Nightfur, you are a loyal and great warrior. I hope you pass your traits on to your apprentice, Tigerpaw." Tigerpaw touched noses with Nightfur, her fur bristling with excitement. The two cats padded to the side. "Amberpaw! Dustpaw! Tigerpaw! Amberpaw! Dustpaw! Tigerpaw!" Stonestar waited till cheering faded. "Thunderclan is strong," he declared. He looked at his Clan. "Thank you, all of you," Stonestar meowed.

**Amberpaw's POV**

I'm so happy! We made it to apprentices. Snowheart is one of the kindest warriors. I'm glad Stonestar picked her for me. I turn to see the elders covering Bravesoul's body with rosemary and watermint. My heart sinks. No more play fights, no more jokes, no more… Bravesoul. Snowheart noses me. "Go and find a nest," she urges me. I walk into the apprentices den. Three nests smelling of nothing but moss lay to the side. Starpaw, an apprentice, eyes me. She has blue eyes that seem to read into my mind. She gives a curt nod, and walks outside. I hear a voice behind me: "Don't mind Starpaw; she always a bit cold. But she's very loyal, and the best fighter I've ever seen," the voice purrs. I turn to see a pale gray she-cat with sparkling amber eyes. Her eyes have flecks of gold in them. I blink. "Umm, hi," I mutter. The cat ducks her head. "Sorry. My name is Goldpaw," she introduces me. I walk to a nest, and settle down. "It's okay. And my name is Amberpaw," I say. Her eyes are really distracting. She sits in a nest next to mine. "Goldpaw!" a voice calls. Goldpaw gets up. "Bye, Amberpaw." I nod to her. "Bye, Goldpaw." As Goldpaw leaves the den I think, _Are all the apprentices that kind? Or are they sort of silent like Starpaw? _I shape my nest until it feels comfortable. ? "Amberpaw!" Snowheart calls. I walk out of the den. "Today we're exploring the territory," she informs me. I nod. "'Kay," I reply. Tigerpaw prances behind me, while Dustpaw walks next to me. Snowheart and Sunstripe press against each other lovingly, while Nightfur leads solemnly. Nightfur pauses at the thorn barrier. "This is where we'll begin our tour." He squeezes through, the rest of us following. "Now here, is- (Timeskip)

I close my eyes as I walk in the thorn barrier. Once I'm in camp, I open them. ThunderClan territory is so big! Snowheart dips her head to me. "You can get prey, and then go to your den," she tells me. I look at her. "Okay," I murmur. I grab a squirrel from the fresh-kill pile, and head to the apprentice den. I sit outside of it, and eat my squirrel. Once I'm done, I walk into the den. Goldpaw, Rockpaw, Seapaw, Dapplepaw, Splashpaw, Saberpaw, and Whitepaw are sleeping. Starpaw is nowhere to be seen. I settle in to my nest, and let the gentle snores of the other apprentices me to sleep.


	6. Chapter 5

Tigerpaw stretched, and looked around. She quickly washed her fur. All the apprentices were gone, except for Amberpaw, Dustpaw, and her. Embarrassment jolted through her. What if Nightfur was waiting this whole time? She dashed out the den. Nightfur was assigning patrols. His sleek, black fur shone in the early morning light. Once all of the cats left, she ran to him. "I'm sorry!" she blurted. "I should have woken up sooner."

Nightfur turned to her and shook his head.

"It's okay. I want you fresh and rested for your training," he soothed.

Tigerpaw nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Today we're practicing battle moves. Most apprentices start with collecting moss, and the hunting crouch, but since ShadowClan is pushing at our borders, there might be a battle," the black tom explained.

Tigerpaw nodded, her tail bushed out with delight. Nightfur stood up.

"We'll start at sunhigh. Until then, I'll teach you how to clean the elders' bedding."

Tigerpaw's head drooped. _Battle moves, not elders. _Tigerpaw padded into the elder's den.

"I'm here to change your bedding," she announced.

Straightwhisker, a gray tom with cloudy blue eyes grunted. He was so old that he could barely talk, never mind move. Flowerpetal, her favorite elder, purred.

"Great! We'll move out of the way so you can work."

Flowerpetal managed to move Straightwhisker out of the den. The other elders followed. When all the elders were out, Flowerpetal walked back in.

"I'm sorry if I disturb you, but I figured you'd like a story," she meowed.

Nightfur pushed his way in, with a huge wad of moss under his chin, and another wad in his jaws. He dropped it in the corner of the den. Flowerpetal waited until he was done showing her what to do. Once he was done demonstrating what to do, Flowerpetal started.

"Well, one time there was a great prophecy that called four cats from each Clan to go far, far away," Flowerpetal began

Tigerpaw clawed the old moss away, and spread a thin layer of new moss on the floor.

"The cats called by StarClan were named Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, Feathertail, and Crowpaw."

Tigerpaw looked up as she made a nest.

"Crow_paw_?" she asked.

Flowerpetal nodded. "Yes, Crowpaw. But this apprentice was brave, loyal, and willing to sacrifice himself for his Clan," she mewed.

Tigerpaw continued to shape the nest.

~~~~ Tigerpaw panted. The nests were done, but she was thirsty and hungry. Flowerpetal licked her on the head.

"Thanks," she purred.

Tigerpaw dipped her head, and walked out of the den. Nightfur had gone to wake up Tigerpaw's littermates. She looked at the apprentice den, which Nightfur, Amberpaw, and Dustpaw were emerging from. Nightfur nodded towards them.

"Get prey and Yellowstone will have water for you," he told them.

Tigerpaw grabbed a fat vole and got some water. She quickly drank the water, and devoured the vole. Tigerpaw glanced at the fresh-kill pile. She was still hungry, but she didn't want to be greedy.

"You can get seconds!" Nightfur called.

She ducked her head, but got another vole. Dustpaw and Amberpaw were sharing a rabbit. She trotted over to them, and sat down.

"Lucky you," Tigerpaw complained. "You guys got to sleep in!"

But Tigerpaw secretly relished cleaning the elder's den; she got to hear stories, be praised, and the elder's den was cool and shady.

"Sorry," Amberpaw mumbled around the rabbit.

Tigerpaw flicked her ear. "It's fine."

She stood up and ran to Nightfur. Amberpaw and Dustpaw soon followed. Snowheart and Sunstripe sat together, tails twined.

"Let's go to the mossy hollow," Nightfur meowed.

Once they arrived, each mentor set their apprentice in the attack crouch.

"This is the most basic battle move," Nightfur explained. "But it can save your life. You can either escape the enemy, or attack it."

Nightfur bunched his legs underneath him. He lay still for a heartbeat, and then pounced, paws in front of him. The second his paws touched the ground, he almost slipped, but turned around quicker than Tigerpaw thought possible.

"Go, but don't get in each other's way," Nightfur warned them.

Tigerpaw relaxed her legs, but kept them ready to move. She pounced, her paws in front of her, claws extended. The second her paws touched the ground, she dug her claws into the dirt, and spun around. Every time she trained with Tigerstar, she warmed up with this move.

"Where did you learn the claw-dig in?" Nightfur asked.

Tigerpaw froze. She had sworn Tigerstar to secrecy.

"Oh, I-uh, just worked it out. It made sense to use your claws to steady yourself," she mewed quickly.

Nightfur nodded approvingly. "Smart. Do it again."

They repeated it until Nightfur had made a technique for Tigerpaw not to grind the soil while she turned.

By then, Amberpaw and Dustpaw had mastered it too.

"Now, we'll work on real battle moves," Sunstripe told the apprentices.

Tigerpaw ignored everybody but Nightfur.

"We'll work on the front paw blow. It draws no blood, but it can stun an enemy," he decided.

Tigerpaw already had learned it from Tigerstar, but she patently watched Nightfur demonstrate.

"We aren't going to practice it on each other because we might get hurt. It's more of a strength move than an actual move," he meowed.

Nightfur went and plucked a large, flappy leaf, and used it as Tigerpaw's target. She slammed her paw on the leaf multiple times, until its stem cracked, and it ripped.

"Those two are the basics. Now we'll do battle moves that we can practice on each other."

Tigerpaw nodded.

"Half turn belly rake, next," Nightfur said.

By the time they had done the final battle move, the sun was just touching the trees.

They walked home, exhausted.

Once they were back at camp, Nightfur turned to her. "I want you and your siblings going to the Gathering," Nightfur meowed, pride in his voice.

Tigerpaw jumped. She had totally forgotten that tonight was the full moon.

"Really?" she asked, her voice rising to a squeak.

Nightfur nodded, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yes, of course. But I want you to rest and eat first."

Tigerpaw jumped in the air. "Oh, thank you, Nightfur! I'm going to tell Amberpaw and Dustpaw right now!" she exclaimed.

She ran to her siblings, but they obviously already knew; they were prancing around, and purring.

"Come on, let's go get some prey!" Tigerpaw urged.

They all shared a chaffinch, and each ate a mouse in happy spirits.

Amberpaw yawned. "Let's go rest," she murmured.

Tigerpaw ran to the apprentice's den, and curled up in her nest, Amberpaw and Dustpaw right next to her.

**Please review, and make a cat. Every cat but the WindClan med. cat are available.**

**Come on, bring your mouse to that little button. Mm hmm. The one that says 'Review'. Great Job! *Gives a candy cane to reviewer.***


	7. Chapter 6

(A/N: You may notice random cats dropping in, and that would be the CAC's. And Warmpaw and Goldpaw are the same cats. I just couldn't think of a warrior name for her. At first, I thought 'Warmheart?' But if you go detailed into it, it would be pretty gross. So, yeah. Oh, and Palepaw is going to drop out of nowhere…)

Tigerpaw yawned. The Gathering last night was really cool. She got to see the leaders, deputies, warriors, medicine cats, and the other apprentices… Last night, Tigerstar had not visited her last night, to her disappointment. A milky dawn light was seeping through the den, making all the cats' fur glow. She carefully inched her way out, careful not to step on a tail or a paw. Tigerpaw grabbed a rabbit and scarfed it down. She saw Palepaw, with his mentor Grasswhisker. Tigerpaw looked for Nightfur. He was organizing patrols for the day. He paused.

"I want Tigerpaw, Grasswhisker, Palepaw and Applefur on the border patrol," he meowed. Tigerpaw ran up to him.

"We're leaving now."

Applefur scurried up to them.

"You could have at least waited for me," she complained, but amusement tinged her mew.

They walked to the ShadowClan border, checking for scents. Nightfur marked the border. The group separated in different sections. Tigerpaw sniffed. _ThunderClan, squirrel, blood, ShadowClan, leaves. _She straightened. "Nothing but Sha-" She flinched.

ShadowClan plus squirrel blood?

"ShadowClan has crossed the border and killed a squirrel," she reported.

Nightfur rushed over and sniffed the scent. Sure enough, it was ShadowClan. "Great," Nightfur growled. "With Leafbare coming on, this is just what we need."

They walked to the WindClan, and marked the border.

"WindClan is doing fine." Nightfur muttered, half to himself, half to his patrol.

They marked the other border, and went back to camp. Nightfur turned to Tigerpaw.

"Your littermates are hunting. We'll do battle training," he told her.

Grasswhisker stood up.

"Can Palepaw and I come too?" she asked.

Nightfur nodded, leading the way to the mossy hollow. Tigerpaw breathed in the sweet, crisp smells of the forest. She realized that Nightfur was right about Leafbare approaching; the air was becoming colder, and some of the trees were slowly turning orange. Tigerpaw bushed out her fur.

"Okay, both of you are going to practice moves, with claws sheathed, of course," Nightfur informed them

Tigerpaw looked up. She hadn't even realized they were here already.

"We're going to learn battle moves that will help us defeat ShadowClan. They mainly use claws, not strength," Grasswhisker meowed.

Tigerpaw remembered Tigerstar telling her that ShadowClan used claws, RiverClan, both, and WindClan claws.

"We'll warm up with some front paw blows, okay?" Nightfur asked the apprentices.

They nodded.

Tigerpaw unsheathed her claws, and slammed her paw on to an imaginary cat's head.

She did it a few more times.

"Okay, now try to defeat me. Pretend I'm a ShadowClan warrior trying to get into camp." Nightfur growled and bared his teeth.

Tigerpaw bushed out her fur, and waited for him to make the first move. He lowered himself down to the ground the tiniest bit. Tigerpaw barely saw it, but she knew he was going to pounce. Nightfur leaped, and Tigerpaw slid out of the way. Nightfur landed lightly on his paws, and turned around. Now it was her turn. He was too strong, she decided, so she'd have to rely on trickery and speed. She looked right behind him, to fool him into thinking she'd try to run behind him, and catch him from the back. She ran, and Nightfur turned to where she was looking at. She raked her paw down his back, and jumped on him. He burst from underneath her, and pinned her down. Tigerpaw held her breath, and lay still. Nightfur gasped.

"Tigerpaw!"

She rolled him over so she was in control again. Tigerpaw put her paw on his neck.

"I win!" she boasted.

Nightfur let out a sigh of relief.

"You really got me there!" he exclaimed.

"Well I knew that you would be stronger than me, so I'd have to use my mind and speed to defeat you," she purred, her heart light at his praise.

Tigerpaw turned to Grasswhisker and Palepaw. Palepaw had pinned Grasswhisker down, a delighted look on his face.

He stepped off of her, and helped her get up.

"Can we do that more often?" he begged.

Nightfur and Grasswhisker shook their heads.

Tigerpaw's face fell. "Why not?"

Nightfur purred. "Because you'll be doing it with other apprentices!"

Tigerpaw bounced up and down.

"Even better!"

Nightfur nodded. "But not right now. First, we have to train you for the battle with ShadowClan."

Tigerpaw opened her eyes. She was in the Dark Forest. Tigerstar was sitting next to her, his tail flicking impatiently. She stood up.

"You've came!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I have. Tonight, we are going to train with one of my other warriors. He'll tell you what to do."

A pure-black warrior padded up to them.

"Is this her?" he asked, disgust in his growl.

Tigerpaw dug her claws in the sandy soil. _I'll show him what I'm worth._

Tigerstar nodded, and left.

The black tom led her to a clearing.

"We are going to fight each other tonight. Claws unsheathed, and whoever is pinned to the ground first, loses," he snapped.

Tigerpaw nodded. His back lowered, just the slightest. _Just like Nightfur._

As he leaped, she scooted forwards, out of his reach, and raked her claws down his stomach as he was above her. He screeched and jumped to his paws. He lashed out at her face, and she slammed her paw on his. She quickly looked at his paw. It was crooked. He seized this moment, and clawed her flank. Blinded by fury and pain, she leaped on him, and dug her claws in him She twisted them and he wailed in pain. She pinned him down, and let her claws sink into his throat. He gasped for air, but she slashed her paw across his throat, and he fell still. After a little while, he disappeared.

"Mouse-heart," she snarled, curling her lip.

Tigerstar padded out of the shadows. He looked shocked for a moment. Then he smoothed his fur, and looked at her.

"You have defeated this warrior. But there are more to come. You defeat one warrior, you control one warrior."

Tigerpaw's eyes widened. "Really?"

Tigerstar nodded.

"A chance of power."

She felt her claws tear at the grass. _Power._ The word echoed in her mind. Yes, she could get used to that. Controlling everyone. Just defeat warriors, and get more of it. Easy.

Tigerstar nodded.

"You may go now."

She felt her wounds ache. She closed her eyes, and she faded into the real world.

Tigerpaw opened her eyes. Something cold was running down her fur. She twisted to look, and saw blood covering her pelt. She lapped at her fur, and the blood disappeared. She ran outside. To her horror, she smelled the scent of death.

**Review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Tigerstar's POV**

Tigerstar purred as Tigerpaw faded into her waking world. He had offered her power. Just a small bit of it. But enough to tempt her. She would be his hero, and kill that mouse-heart Stonestar. When _she _would be leader, she wouldn't wait for ShadowClan to make the first move; she'd make the move first. ThunderClan was growing weak, into kittypets and loners. He snorted. _Not for long! _

"Tigerstar." A voice jolted him out of his thoughts.

He turned to see a dark brown tabby with scars crisscrossing his pelt.

"Yes, Brokenstar?" He asked smoothly.

"I saw that apprentice of yours. You ought to teach her the killing bite soon," Brokenstar mewed.

Tigerstar dipped his head. "Yes, don't worry. I just need to let her rise, slowly."

Brokenstar nodded. "Okay. But that isn't why I came. We have a meeting."

**Three moons later**

Tigerpaw settled herself in the hunting crouch, focused on the squirrel in front of her. She crept forwards smoothly, making sure her paws didn't crackle a leaf, or snap a stick. _Now! _She pounced on the squirrel and gave it a quick nip to the neck. She sat back, satisfied. Greenleaf was longer than usual, according to the warriors. But she could tell that Leaf-fall was approaching. Tigerstar had told her that the leaves changed orange, red, and yellow, and they got frailer. The air would be cooler, but with a warm edge to it, Tigerstar had meowed. She nosed her squirrel. It was plump and soft, perfect for feeding the Clan. She dug a hole and buried it under the fine soil that ThunderClan territory provided. Tigerpaw lifted her head, sniffing for prey. She caught a faint scent of mouse. Tigerpaw settled herself down, knowing that the bracken would hide her fur. Creeping forwards until the mouse was in sight, she took a silent but deep breath. The mouse was practically in front of her nose. She lashed out a paw with lightning speed and killed it. It was scrawny, but still filling. She buried it. Standing up, she inhaled. No prey. Tigerpaw quietly padded forwards until she scented a sparrow. It was on the ground, pecking for food. She took a flying leap and killed it. It smelled different. Rolling it over, she inspected it for any symptom of disease.

"What are you doing on ShadowClan territory?"

Tigerpaw whirled around, eyes wide. A black tom with silver-tipped fur stood in front of her.

"Smokepaw!" She recognized the tom from a gathering."I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize I crossed the border," she meowed, her voice trembling a bit.

Smokepaw obviously recognized her too; his fur flattened and his claws sheathed.

"It's okay," he mewed. "Quick, before any cat sees, go back on your side."

Tigerpaw flinched. Leaving the sparrow, she inched her way on to her territory.

"Thanks," she breathed.

Smokepaw shook his head. "No problem."

They stood in an awkward silence, until Smokepaw spoke:

"Tonight, come meet me on the border. I want to show you something," he pleaded, his fur fluffing up in excitement.

Tigerpaw hesitated. Wasn't it against the warrior code to meet a cat from another Clan without permission? But meeting his amber gaze, she couldn't say no.

"Okay. But moonhigh or moonrise?" she asked.

"Moonhigh," he replied. "And take the sparrow. It's yours." Picking up the sparrow, he tossed it to her. She realized that the sparrow didn't smell different; the territory did.

"Thanks," she called to Smokepaw as he left

She picked up her prey and moved it closer to where her hunting patrol was going to meet. _Dock!_Tigerpaw suddenly recognized the wide, floppy leaf. She plucked a few leaves and settled them between her paws. She saw the ferns- a few fox-lengths in front of her- rustle. Nightfur, Longclaw, and Saberpaw padded to her.

"Catch anything? Or is this 'cold' weather bothering you?" Longclaw sneered, only loud enough for her to hear. He carried two mice with him.

"Better than you," she growled, bringing up her fat squirrel. Longclaw's eyes widened and he fell silent. She uncovered the rest of her prey, and carried it along with the dock in her jaws. They patrol walked to camp in good spirits. Saberpaw padded beside her. He was carrying three shrews and a mouse by their tails.

"Nice job," he purred, trying to speak clearly from the tails.

Tigerpaw nodded. "You too," she mumbled from around her prey. They padded back to camp in silence, lost in thoughts. When they arrived, she dropped her prey on the fresh-kill pile and walked to the medicine den. Yellowstone was testing Silverpaw:

"Okay, now what plant is this- oh hello, Tigerpaw!"

Tigerpaw dropped the dock at his paws.

"I found this near the Moss Tree. There's a lot more, but I didn't want to pull all of them out, in case they can't keep growing without others," she mewed.

Yellowstone nodded. "Perfect. Here," he meowed, carefully grabbing something from his herb stock. Tigerpaw recognized it as honeycomb.

"Thanks!" She took it from his jaws and walked outside. The sun was setting and cats were slowly, peacefully sharing tongues. Nightfur nodded.

"You can take a break now. You have dawn patrol tomorrow."

Gingerly setting her honeycomb a clean, wide stone, she called,

"Amberpaw! Dustpaw!"

Her siblings ran up to her.

"Here, do you want to share?" she asked.

Amberpaw nodded; as well as Dustpaw.

She carefully broke the honeycomb into three pieces, giving two to her littermates.

"I've never tried honey," Amberpaw murmured wistfully.

Dustpaw shook his head. "Me neither."

Tigerpaw swiped her tongue around her jaws. "I have. Nightfur managed to grab some for me."  
Amberpaw licked her piece.

"Hey! It doesn't taste like anything!" Amberpaw exclaimed, her head jerking back."The warriors said it was sweet!"

Tigerpaw looked at her piece, while Dustpaw licked his clean.

"I know. But they mean sweet to the throat, not the tongue."  
She took a small lick from it, relishing the creamy, smooth texture. It soothed her throat, making her feel like a kit again. Amberpaw nodded, taking slow licks from it.

Tigerpaw let herself be lost in thought.

Tigerpaw jerked back. "Huh? What?"

Amberpaw and Dustpaw had finished their honeycomb, and were waiting.

"Let's go to the den."

Tigerpaw picked up her honeycomb and curled up into her nest. She slowly licked it, its soft, soothing texture lulling her to sleep.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Moonhigh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Tigerpaw woke up. The apprentices were sleeping. She crept out of the den. Redfur was patrolling the entrance. Tigerpaw tip-toed to the dirtplace and squeezed out the back of it. She ran to the ShadowClan border, looking for any cats.

"Tigerpaw! Psst!" a voice hissed.

She looked and saw Smokepaw.

Smokepaw purred. "You came!"

Tigerpaw snorted. "Why wouldn't I?"

Smokepaw looked at his paws. "Well, because we're from different Clans…"

Tigerpaw shook her head. "That doesn't matter." The words slipped from her mouth. But looking at the handsome tom, she didn't regret saying it.

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 8

Tigerpaw purred in the early morning chill. Smokepaw had proven himself to be the most fun and humorous tom she had ever met.

"Tigerpaw!"

Tigerpaw flinched and looked up.

"Yes, Nightfur?"

Nightfur gave her a challenging stare. "What did I just say?"

Tigerpaw shifted her feet. "Er- um, you said that I had to…" she mumbled.

Nightfur sighed. "Mark the border, then tells me what you smell."

Tigerpaw marked the border then sniffed the air.

"Strong scent of ShadowClan; they must have just passed," she reported.

Nightfur looked pleased. "Correct. Now that we're done, you can have a small break, and then I'll test you on your hunting skills."

They padded back to camp, each thinking their own thoughts in silence. When they arrived at camp, Tigerpaw washed herself.

"Can I get prey?" she asked.

Nightfur nodded. "Of course," he replied.

Tigerpaw grabbed a vole. Vole was her favorite prey. She loved its meaty and fresh flavors. (**a/n: I've never tried vole, but I'm just guessing what it would taste like for a cat…)**

Tigerpaw took a bite of the vole._ I hope there isn't a battle with ShadowClan. I don't want to hurt one of Smokepaw's Clanmates. Or him. _She thought of all the warnings that the elders told of: 'Never become friends or fall in love with someone outside of your Clan.' Tigerpaw sighed. _But why? _She wondered. Finishing her vole, she stood up. Walking to Nightfur, she told him,

"I'm ready."

She followed him out of the camp.

"Okay, you lead now," he told her.

Tigerpaw lifted her head, sniffing. _Mouse! _

She followed the scent, her paws barely touching the ground. She found it nibbling on a seed. She crouched down and disguised her shape; she flattened her ears and whiskers, tucked her legs closer to her stomach, and curled up her tail. Tigerpaw crepted forwards, and stopped only until she was within biting range of her mouse. She shot her head forwards and bit its scruff. It fell limp. Tigerpaw dug a deep hole, dropped it in, and covered it. Finding a large, bright yellow flower, she marked it over her prey.

_I need to show Nightfur my climbing skills. _

Tigerpaw bounded up a tree, and scented for squirrels. She found a fresh scent. It was already close, so she went slowly towards it. She accidently stepped on a leaf and it ran away. Eventually, she found it again. She climbed to the branch right above it. Quick as lightning, she flashed her paw out and a second later, it hung from her claw. She scampered down the tree and buried it.

"Good job. You can stop now," Nightfur praised, emerging out of a nearby bush. Before they left, Tigerpaw clawed some pine needles and a few leaves.

Tigerpaw dug up her prey and carried it back to camp. She set it on the fresh-kill pile, which was getting lower by the day.

"We're going to do many things today. First, the elders need fresh bedding," Nightfur informed her.

Tigerpaw stifled a sigh.

"Starpaw already collected moss and bracken for you. The elders are out, so you should have an easy time."

Tigerpaw walked to the elder's den, sighing at the stinky scent. She clawed out all the old moss, then fluffed up the grass. Taking the new moss, she smeared it across the floor. She carefully shaped the bracken into a nest-shape and filled it with moss. Tigerpaw took the leaves and stuck it next to the exit. The elders loved the leaves; the leaves brought the smell of the forest into the den. Tigerpaw took the pine needles next and weaved them into the roof. She took the old moss and threw it into the bushes behind the elders' den. Tigerpaw walked to the medicine den, where Yellowstone left out moss soaked in water. She took a wad of dripping moss and went to the elder's den again. Tigerpaw carefully squeezed a bit of water into their new nests, making them soft and damp, rather than stiff and dry. She put the moss away. Tigerpaw looked at the sky. Sun-high. Nightfur was just walking into Stonestar's den. _I guess I have to keep working on the elders' den. _Tigerpaw walked inside and rummaged through each nest to find thorns. Finding none, she fixed the roof. She weaved the (BRAMBLES?) into place and removed scraps.

"Tigerpaw!"

Tigerpaw walked outside. Finally!

"Wait a moment. You can go visit Applefur's kits."

Tigerpaw sighed. But a least she might be able to play with them.

She pricked her ears, trying to eavesdrop on Nightfur and Stonestar.

"Battle… ShadowClan… You think so? … then yes…"

"Cross… often… battle…Sunhigh… talk to…"

Tigerpaw froze. _Battle… ShadowClan… You think so? … Then yes. What if its:_

_Battle with ShadowClan. You think we should do it? If so, then yes._

She shook her head and headed to the nursery. She walked in and was immediately attacked.

"Intruder! Show yourself now!" a voice squealed.

Tigerpaw fell over, pretending to be hurt.

"Oh, I'm Tigerpaw! Please let go of me!" she pleaded, amusement in her mew.

The red shape of Foxkit appeared. "No, never, WindClan scum!"

Russetkit, her sister, pounced on Tigerpaw. "Surrender!"

Applefur shook her head. "Now, now," she chided her kits. "That's no way to treat a visitor."

Foxkit glared at Applefur. "But she's not a visitor! She a trespassing WindClanner!" she protested.

Tigerpaw shook her head at Applefur.

"It's fine."

Applefur nodded, and purred as she watched Tigerpaw play with her kits.

Back in the game, Russetkit squealed and pummeled Tigerpaw with tiny paws. Foxkit took her tail and tugged at it. Tigerpaw gently battered them with her paws.

"Tigerpaw! I'm ready!"

Tigerpaw broke off at the sound of Nightfur's voice.

"I'm sorry. I have to go. But I promise you that I'll be back soon," she told the kits.

Their faces fell (a/n: not literally), but they let her go to Nightfur. The black tom stretched and yawned when she looked at him.

"Today, we're going to put you with partners. You aren't gonna be in the training hollow, but instead, in the forest."

She walked to the forest with Nightfur and soon saw the other apprentices there. She sat down next to her sibling and listened.

"Rockpaw and Dapplepaw are together, Seapaw and Palepaw…"

Tigerpaw ignored the instructions until her name was called:

"And finally, for the partners, Tigerpaw and Saberpaw."

_Oh no! _Tigerpaw would have preferred to be with everybody else than Saberpaw. Reluctantly, she padded to her assigned spot.

Tigerpaw watched Saberpaw. The apprentices circled each other, until finally, Tigerpaw lunged at him. He yowled and flipped her over. She heard a sickening _crack _and pain shot through her paw. Furious now, she swiped at his face, and smacked him in the eyes. Temporarily blinded now, Saberpaw staggered, trying to blink away the pain. Tigerpaw slithered under him and raked his belly with her paw. She surged forwards and knocked him over. She placed her paw on his throat and lifted her chin.

"I win!" she crowed.

Saberpaw grunted and threw her over. Taken by surprise, she hissed. He raked his claws down her cheek.

"Never suspect an enemy is defeated until they're dead," he snarled. "I've seen you chatting about wanting to be leader. But you're too weak. I'll make ThunderClan strong. But first, I need to get that kitty-leader out of the way. We should attack ShadowClan _now_, not let them make the first move!"

Tigerpaw flinched. _Such big ambitions for an apprentice! _

Saberpaw's snap wrenched her out of her thoughts. "If you tell _anyone _I said this and did this, I'll kill you."

With each word, he clawed her slightly, enough to make her go crazy. He finally stood up and took a few thorns from a nearby thorn bush. She stifled a squeal as he shoved them into her.

"Can't go without and excuses?" he hissed.

The bushes behind them rustled, and Saberpaw gently licked the spots where he had shoved the thorns into her. Nightfur stepped out, a shocked look on his face.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Saberpaw paused licking to reply:

"Well, we were training, and Tigerpaw stumbled into that thornbush. She tried to get out, but they scratched her. I helped her out, and that's where we are now," he explained.

Nightfur nodded. "Good work, Saberpaw. Training just 'bout over now, so I'll take Tigerpaw to the medicine den."

He guided her slowly back to camp. When they arrived in the medicine den, Silverpaw, who was just walking in, squeaked in horror.

"What happened?" she mewed, trembling.

"Thorns," Tigerpaw meowed.

"What do we need to do first?" prompted Yellowstone.

Silverpaw blinked. "Let her lay down. Pull out the thorns. Then pour water on her to get rid of any blood in the way and examine her."

Yellowstone nodded approvingly, and Tigerpaw felt proud for her friend. The two medicine cats gently lay her down on some soft moss and plucked all the thorns out of her. Tigerpaw winced, but didn't complain. Yellowstone frowned as they poured the water over her and looked at her.

"Thorns don't make these marks. Only claws do," he muttered.

Tigerpaw gulped, but didn't say anything. Yellowstone turned to Silverpaw.

"What herbs do we need?"

Silverpaw closed her eyes for a moment, obviously thinking hard.

"Cobweb, to cover the cuts, dock, to soothe the scratches, and if we have any, dried oak leaf."

Yellowstone nodded. "Go get them."

Silverpaw fetched some sharp-smelling leaves. She applied the dock, and an oak leaf. She got some water for Tigerpaw to drink. She lapped at it, relishing the cold, cool water.

"Why didn't you give her the cobweb?" Yellowstone asked.

"Because we need the leaves to soak into her wounds and actually heal them. After they do their job, we take off the leaves, and put on the cobweb," Silverpaw replied breezily.

Yellowstone grunted. "Perfect."

After a while, Tigerpaw fell asleep. A paw prodded her gently and woke her. Silverpaw's pretty face was close to hers. The medicine cat apprentice licked her on the head.

"Wake up, slug," she teased.

Yawning, Tigerpaw slowly heaved herself to her paws. Silverpaw helped her out of the den. Looking up, Tigerpaw flinched. The sun was high up in the sky, meaning it was the next day from when Saberpaw had threatened her. Thanking Silverpaw, she walked to her nest and curled up. The air was quite cold, and she shivered. Pulling tufts of moss over her, she thought about yesterday. _Never suspect an enemy is defeated until they're dead, _Saberpaw had said. It sounded familiar. Finally, she realized that Tigerstar had told her that all the time. _That's why. _She snuggled down and fell asleep. Only then did she realize that Tigerstar must be training Saberpaw.


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own warriors. If I did, people would be asking, 'Who's Millie?'**

**Oh, and, the reason Tigerpaw didn't know about Tigerstar is because it is now in the warrior code to forget all 'evil' cats. But of course, most cats who have heard about him, well, think of him. Like, for example, do not think of a black lab. What are you thinking of right now? Most likely a black lab. Oh, and, this chapter is pretty violent. Just a warning. **

Tigerpaw froze in horror. She had trusted Tigerstar. Did he really want her leader, or him? Determined not to meet him now, she looked for Nightfur. Her scratches felt better, and she decided if she took it easy they would be okay. She spotted Nightfur dropping some prey on the fresh-kill pile. It was getting smaller by the day; Leafbare was approaching. Nightfur was dripping water; it must have just rained. She padded up to him and waited until he had finished putting his prey down.

"What are we doing today?" she asked.

Nightfur gave his pelt a shake, drying his fur.

"Not battle practice, not with those cuts. So we'll go hunting," he decided.

Tigerpaw pricked her ears as they walked out into the forest. The leaves were changing colors-red, yellow, and orange. Nightfur led her along the lakeside, and she let the pebbles crunch under her paws. Tigerpaw walked closer to the water. She let the waves lap at her paws, cold water soaking into her fur. Finally, Nightfur led her away from the lake and into the forest. He turned suddenly.

"What do you need to remember when hunting in Leaf-fall?" he asked.

Tigerpaw thought for a moment.

"Well, first, remember not to get too upset if you don't catch anything. It's hard to in this weather. And second, step lightly or in a special way, such as digging your paws under the leaves and drifting them under," she replied.

Nightfur nodded. "Perfect. Now show me how to hunt."

Tigerpaw tilted her head back and sniffed. A faint scent of mouse hung in the air. She stepped quietly, careful not to crackle a leaf. Tigerpaw looked around for the mouse, carefully turning her head. There! She saw it nibbling on a seed. Tigerpaw shifted into the hunting crouch, tucking in her hind legs. She slowly crept up to it, only stopping when it was a fox-length away. She pounced on it and gave it a quick nip to the neck. It fell limp, and she looked around for Nightfur. He stepped out of the shadows and nodded.

"Good job. You can eat it; this isn't a hunting patrol. Try to find something else."

Tigerpaw ate it in swift bites. When she was finished, she got up and sniffed the air again. No prey scent. She moved farther from where she had eaten her prey; maybe more prey could smell death and scurry away from it. She moved so far, she almost crossed the border, but she still couldn't find any prey. Tail drooping, she headed to Nightfur.

"Couldn't find anything," she explained.

Nightfur nodded. "Ts'okay."

Tigerpaw walked back to camp, feeling guilty. As they passed though the thorn barrier, Tigerpaw thought of Tigerstar. _Is he tricking everyone?_ There was one way to find out.

"Can I go rest?" she called to Nightfur.

"Mmm hmm," her mentor responded.

Tigerpaw walked into her den, and curled up. Before long, she woke up in the Dark Forest. Tigerstar was standing above her.

"So you found out?" he asked calmly.

Tigerpaw dug her claws into the floor, trying not to lash out at Tigerstar.

"Yes. I. Did," she muttered.

Tigerstar purred. "Now, now, I know what you're thinking. I betrayed you. But, no, I haven't. You see, I want you _both _to be leaders. Joint leaders, you guys can be, or leader and deputy."

Tigerpaw stifled a screech. "But who do you want to be leader more?" she growled.

Tigerstar purred. "Saberpaw of course- uh, you obviously. He would drown… the forest… in blood," Tigerstar mewed, his voice getting smaller in each word.

Tigerpaw leaped on him, clawing at his face. Tigerstar gasped, taken by surprise. As he swiped at her, she batted his arm away, spraining it. She jumped on his back and raked her paw down his head. Tigerstar turned, trying to throw her off. Tigerpaw relaxed, letting him carry her weight. Tigerstar staggered and collapsed.

"You lied!" she shrieked.

Tigerstar finally threw her down and swiped at her face. "You're a weakling! Saberpaw would make the forest great!" he yowled. He clawed her flank and she screamed in pain. Blood splattered the floor. Suddenly, she remembered Dustpaw's favorite move.

"No, help!" she whimpered.

Tigerpaw went limp and held her breath. Tigerstar sat up.

"Weakling," he grumbled.

Tigerstar leaned over her, checking to see if she was still alive. Seizing the moment, she lashed at his throat. He gasped for air and staggered. Tigerstar raked his claws down her flank before walking away. Unable to take the pain any more, she blacked out.

Tigerpaw opened her eyes. Everything was blurry and dark, and the air was tinged with the scent of herbs. Tigerpaw winced as her wounds stung.

"Shh," a voice soothed.

Tigerpaw looked up to see Darkshade leaning over her. Her mother was gently licking her head.

"Shh, you were hurt, and now you're in the medicine den," her mother informed her. "Do you know how you got these wounds?"

Tigerpaw shook her head a little. Not only did the wounds hurt, but the lies did. But she had to lie.

"Mm mm," she mumbled, trying to say 'I don't know.'

Darkshade nodded and continued licking her. Tigerpaw soon fell back asleep under her mother's rhythmic licking. Soon, she woke up again. Her nest was softer than she remembered; she noticed that more moss was placed and feathers were woven into it. Her mother was gone, but Yellowstone was mixing herbs in the shadows. He came over to her and gently peeled off the cobwebs that were applied to her wounds.

"It's been three days since you've gotten these wounds," he informed her.

Tigerpaw flinched. "_Three_?"

Yellowstone nodded, smearing some herbs over her cuts. Tigerpaw winced, but didn't complain.

"Nothings really happened, but a border patrol met a ShadowClan patrol and they got in a skirmish."

Tigerpaw nodded, her heart aching. _Was Smokepaw there?_

Tigerpaw looked at her slices. They were almost healed, but still raw-looking. They would make bad scars. She looked around the den and froze when she saw blood-soaked cobwebs.

"When can I go back to training?" she asked.

Yellowstone paused. "Maybe in two days, but if you rest and not move, possibly tomorrow," he murmured. "And eat," he added, placing a vole and wet moss near her nest.

Tigerpaw ate the vole slowly, then drank the water. Closing her eyes, she snuggled deeper in her nest.

WhenTigerpaw woke again, it was late into sunhigh. Her wounds only hurt the slightest, and she felt energized.

Her mother was curled around her, and Yellowstone was testing Silverpaw about herbs.

"Yellowstone? Can I go outside now?" Tigerpaw asked.

Yellowstone looked at Silverpaw. "What d'ya think?"

Silverpaw walked over to Tigerpaw and peered at her wounds. Then she sniffed them and stood straight.

"Yes, I think she can, she can do battle practice, but no claws on her wounds?" Silverpaw's answer rose to a question.

Yellowstone nodded. "Yup, you can go."

As soon as Tigerpaw stood up, Darkshade stirred.

"How are you?" Darkshade asked.

"Better," Tigerpaw responded, "My wounds are only a little sore."

Darkshade's eyes widened curiously. _She's wondering where I got these marks. _

Her mother nuzzled her then walked out. Tigerpaw followed. Nightfur was talking quietly with Logfur, a senior warrior. Tigerpaw waited until they separated and then walked up to Nightfur.

"What are we doing today?" she asked.

Nightfur blinked.

"Well since we've learned the ShadowClan moves, we're going to learn RiverClan moves. They usually don't attack since they are quite peaceful and they don't share a border with us, but eh, you never know."

Tigerpaw listened to Nightfur talking about the RiverClan moves.

"They're quite fun, even though you have to get wet. RiverClan cats are to fight; they use claws and strength…"

Nightfur led Tigerpaw to the lake and waded in a bit.

"Come on!"

Tigerpaw slowly stepped into the water; it was very cold. But once she was shoulder-deep, she got used to the temperature and it soothed her wounds. Nightfur walked closer to her.

"I'm not really the swimmer," he admitted. "But you might be."

He taught her how RiverClan warriors emerged from the water and could hold you underwater until you begged for mercy. Nightfur demonstrated how to swim, and soon, Tigerpaw got the hang of it. Tigerpaw purred as Nightfur flicked her with water.

"Okay, now, we'll practice moves."

Nightfur used his tail to flick water in her face. Momentarily blinded, Tigerpaw stood there, confused. By the time Tigerpaw blinked away the water, Nightfur was gone. She swam under and saw a black shape swimming towards her. She waited until Nightfur was almost under her then held him down. She let him up, not taking the chance of drowning him.

Nightfur panted. "Good," he praised. "But now we're going to practice actual moves."

They practiced until sundown, where they got out soaked but happy.

"That was fun," Tigerpaw panted.

Nightfur nodded. "You're getting good. Soon I'll have to do you're warrior assessment."

Tigerpaw blinked. "Really?"

Nightfur snorted. "No, of course not," he meowed sarcastically. "What d'ya think? Of course!"

Tigerpaw bushed out her fur in pride. "Okay!"

They walked back to camp, Nightfur suggesting moves for his apprentice to practice, and she sucked it all up.

**Later that day (Nighttime) **

Tigerpaw took a swift glance around the den. Everyone was asleep. She stifled a hiss of annoyance; she saw Rockpaw and Amberpaw close together. _I don't like that couple, _she thought in disgust.

Tigerpaw snuck out of the den. Nightfur was on duty, pacing around. No chance getting through the main entrance. She slunk through the dirtplace then sprinted to the ShadowClan border. She saw a silverish-black pelt gleaming in the moonlight. Smokepaw was waiting for her.

"Hi," she whispered.

**Okay! Applause, applause! Please review! And IMPORTANT NOTICE! Rockpaw, Seapaw, Dapplepaw, Splashpaw and Whitepaw, Waterpaw and Duskpaw are all warriors now. They are Rockclaw, Seapetal, Dapplepelt, Splashpelt Whitedash, Waterwave and Dusksun. **

**XxX**

**And finally I reply to reviews! 0.0 **

**Cinderstar377- Thank you! Not only for the kind review, but for helping me out to get here.**

**Cloudtail07- Yes, I'll try to update whenever I can but school, blah, blah, blah… You know what I mean. And I'll try to make even more interesting for you.**

**Fawna Flutter- Thanks! And maybe she will, despite this chapter. But maybe she won't, learning what Tigerstar had become in his ambition… **

**Riverstone38- I'm sorry if it was confusing, but I just wanted to try something new; a new POV for a fresher story. And thank you for the advice.**

**AgentKajiTheWolf- Thank you for PMing (is that even a word?) me so often, and helping me out with our mysterious Starpaw.**

**Supernova750- Thank you for submitting Palepaw. I know that Tigerpaw is a bit (SPOILER ALERT) in love with Smokepaw and I may make her even more in love with him, but I promise, Palepaw will have a big part in this story. And you can bring in up to six charries. **

**Moonlight1234- I know, I will probably rewrite Ambition for spelling and grammar. My writing skills were a bit rusty; I hadn't wrote in a long time.**

**Well, peace out, **

**~ Tigerstar :3**


	11. Chapter 10

(New character alert: Lilypaw) NOTE: You cannot use the prefix Night- or Holly-

"ShadowClan attack! Need backup!" A screech broke through Tigerpaw's dream. She shook herself and burst out of the den. Stonestar was already on the Highledge.

"I want these cats to come! The rest will stay and defend the camp! Nightfur, Darkshade, Logfur, Longclaw, Fireblaze, Redfur, Grasswhisker, Skyfall (A/N yes, Skyfall, no, just kidding) SkyFUR, Yellowstone and Sunstripe. Grasswhisker, if your patrol is out numbered, go fetch Rockclaw, Whitedash, Seapetal, Tigerpaw, Starpaw, Palepaw, Lilypaw, Saberpaw, and Dustpaw!" Stonestar leaped off the Highledge and ordered each cat into a certain battle line. The patrol raced through the forest and to the ShadowClan border.

Yellowstone went on the Highledge. No one was surprised and Stonestar didn't mind; Yellowstone usually went up there so every cat could hear him.

"Warriors," he called. "While you can, get some prey and line up in front of my den for water and herbs!"

He leaped down and went into his den. Tigerpaw quickly grabbed a squirrel and went next to her siblings.

"I'm not hungry," Amberpaw whimpered.

Tigerpaw felt the same way, but she knew they must eat.

"Eat, come on. What if your strength gets down and you faint in the middle of battle. How's that helping your Clan?" Tigerpaw urged.

Amberpaw gave a small nod. "You're right."

She took a big bite of her mouse and chewed. Dustpaw was already more than halfway done with his chaffinch. Tigerpaw gulped down her rabbit then raced to the medicine den, her siblings at her side. Most of the warriors had already taken the herbs and water, so the line was short. She only had to wait a few heartbeats until she was at the front. Silverpaw gave her some herbs to swallow. Tigerpaw gagged at the bitter taste, but swallowed them. Yellowstone hurriedly gave her a ball of soaking moss then shooed her away. Tigerpaw settled down, licking her lips trying to get rid of the sour tang of the leaves. She took careful sips of the water, savoring it's clear taste.

_It's not fair that the first patrol didn't get the herbs and water and prey. _Then she realized that Stonestar had choose the cats who had done the pre-dawn patrol, so they might have gotten water but had definitely gotten prey.

"We're out numbered! Second patrol, come!" Grasswhisker broke in, panting.

Tigerpaw leaped to her paws and raced through the forest with the second patrol. Suddenly, Grasswhisker stopped, sending everyone skidding ahead.

"Stop," she hissed, "ShadowClan thought this patrol was for home, so we'll surprise them. Everyone, get beside your mentor or apprentice. If you don't have one, get beside a cat that is older than you, in the case of a new warrior or apprentice. If you are a senior warrior, get besides a younger cat. Now get in a horizontal line."

Everyone dashed in their spots. Grasswhisker straightened.

"Go!" she yowled.

The ThunderClan cats leaped into battle, next to very surprised ShadowClan cats. Tigerpaw jumped onto the very large, brown, dusty back of a warrior. He whirled around to spin her and drop her, but she dug her claws in his back and he screeched in pain. She jumped up, spun, and dropped in front of him. He raised his humongous paw up and she hit it away, but too late. He put his other paw next to her and skimmed it over the ground, causing her to trip. She flinched as the tom sliced her flank. Blood splattered the ground. Her blood. Furious, she leaped measly, pretending to be weakened. He batted her away and then approached. She stiffened her body and stared up at a cloud. The tom's eyes widened in horror and backed away, looking around guiltily. As soon as he was gone, she heaved herself up with a grunt. She dashed around, looking for someone to help. _There! _Palepaw was backed up on a tree by two giant warriors. He fought bravely, but he was oviously tired; the big warriors were bleeding heavily, his fur in their wounds, and they were just toying with him. One of the warriors tried to knock him out with a giant paw, but Palepaw unsheathed his claws and blocked his face. The warrior wailed in pain as his paw hit Palepaw's claws. The other one growled.

"Mudtooth is a wimp. But I am not."

Tigerpaw crept up to one of them—Mudtooth-and clawed his back viscously. He yowled and turned to face her. Palepaw brightened a bit at the help and while the warrior was staring at Tigerpaw, he clouted him on the head so hard, the warrior staggered and fell. Tigerpaw turned her attention to Mudtooth. His claws were flying towards her; she looked just in time and ducked.

"Rarh!" the warrior bellowed in fury.

He jumped on her and she gasped at the weight. She turned after a bit of struggling and unsheathed her claws. She raked them across the warrior stomach and he backed off in to the battle. Now to help Palepaw… Palepaw? He was knocked out cold by a horrible cut stretching from his shoulder to the beginning of his leg. She screeched in fury and lunged to the tom that had attacked Palepaw and clawed him. She clawed him until he yowled.

"Help! No, I'll go now!"

Tigerpaw hissed at him and snapped her muzzle a whisker away from his.

"Tigerpaw," she snarled and growled for good measure.

The tom slunk away. "Scarclaw."

Tigerpaw turned to Palepaw and carried him to Yellowstone. The ShadowClan cats kept their distance; though they fought, they knew the importance of getting a wounded Clanmate to a medicine cat as soon as possible. She laid him next to Yellowstone, who quickly dragged him away from the battle. She looked for another warrior to fight and saw Smokepaw and Lilypaw charging towards each other. Then Smokepaw stopped and flicked his tail at Lilypaw. She flicked her tail back and they separated.

_What was that? _Tigerpaw was bewildered and shocked.

Suddenly (I like using that word) claws scratched down her back. She whirled around, but too late. Teeth chomped her tail and searing pain shot through Tigerpaw. She was exhausted; she wanted to go to sleep and rest. As claws scoured her flank, she slipped into nothingness.

XxX

"Is she okay? Please, StarClan, let her be okay." Tigerpaw slowly blinked open her eyes. She was in the medicine den, blurred shapes dancing in front of her. She shut her eyes and then opened them again. Her vision cleared to see Darkshade and Yellowstone in front of her.

"Tigerpaw!"

Her mother's frantic voice frightened her. Darkshade gently licked her daughter's head, soothing her a bit.

"How—how are the other apprentices?" Tigerpaw's words sounded slurred and tired.

Darkshade looked worried. "Saberpaw broke his paw. Palepaw has a big slice, but Yellowstone thinks he'll pull through. But you are the worst; you lost a lot of blood, and—and some of your tail." Her last words were barley a whisper.

Horrified, Tigerpaw looked back to see at least a quarter of her tail gone, if not more. Pushing away her worry, she looked at Palepaw. His gray tabby fur was neatly groomed, and his white-patched chest was fluffed up. But a huge, long scar ruined the picture. It stretched from the end of his left shoulder to the beginning of his left leg. She turned to see Saberpaw. He had the fewest scars; only his crooked paw looked hurt.

"Here," Darkshade mewed, giving her a vole and a ball of water-soaked moss.

Tigerpaw chewed the vole slowly, savoring its meaty flavor. She finished it after quite a while, then lapped at the moss

Darkshade gently licked Tigerpaw until she fell asleep.

"Hi!"

Tigerpaw jolted up, realizing she was dreaming. In the Dark forest.

She looked up to see a brown tabby-tom with startling ice-blue eyes.

The tom smiled brightly. "Hi! I'm Hawkfrost!"


	12. Chapter 11

*****NOTE: I cannot accept characters without their warrior names*****

Tigerpaw opened her eyes. It was freezing, despite her warm mossy nest. She peered outside. It was white… Wait, white? Tigerpaw jumped outside. Darkshade purred, walking over to her.

"Snow," she explained.

Tigerpaw punched her paw into the snow. It crunched. Tigerpaw purred and walked all over the clearing when she looked back, small pawprints circled the clearing. _Oops…_

She reminded herself of Hawkfrost. The cheery tom had been happy and preppy with her.

She raced over to Nightfur, who was calling out patrols. When he finished, he padded over to Tigerpaw.

"Today's your warrior assessment," he told her pride lighting his deep meow.

Tigerpaw gasped. "Really? But what about the snow?"

Nightfur nodded. "Yep. Don't worry; just hope."

Tigerpaw nodded. "Okay."

"Let's go. Saberpaw, Amberpaw, Dustpaw and Lilypaw are already out. You go wherever you want."

Tigerpaw nodded and walked to the forest. _ShadowClan border, no; the blood would scare off the prey, WindClan border, no; too barren, RiverClan border, maybe; not often do patrols come there. Rogue border, maybe; the rogues and loners are scared by the scent lines._

"RiverClan border," she said aloud.

She crept to the border and sniffed. No prey scent so far. Maybe this would work. She dug in the hard ground and dug until she found a seed. It was about an inch long, enough to tempt prey out of their small holes. She flattened snow in one area and placed the seed there. After a long time, a mouse ran over to the seed. It nibbled the seed and looked around. Tigerpaw slowly shifted forwards. The mouse let out a panicked squeak, dropped the seed and ran.

"Fox dung!" Tigerpaw hissed.

_Well, the ground won't work, so that leaves trees. Ha, leaves, trees…_

She grabbed the seed and clawed her way up tree and snuck her way on a branch. She used her tail for balance. When she was in the spot she wanted to be, she tilted and fell. Tigerpaw twisted until she was paw-first. Sighing, she clawed her way up the tree and dug her claws in its old bark. She placed the seed where she wanted it to be and waited. Finally, she saw a fluffy tail. A squirrel. She waited until the squirrel was half-done with the nut, and then lashed out with her paw. She nipped it on the back of its neck and killed it. She leaped down the tree and buried it. Next, she looked around. She found a sparrow fluttering its wings and she pounced on it.

"Okay, very good, Tigerpaw lets go back to camp."

Nightfur emerged from the ferns and nodded. Tigerpaw groomed herself thoroughly, scraped up her squirrel and picked up her sparrow. They walked back to camp in silence, Tigerpaw's mind bursting with thoughts.

. After a while, Stonestar leapt onto the Highledge.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The cats gathered below, looking up at their leader.

Stonestar turned his gaze to the cats below. "Two siblings and three friends have done their warrior assessment. Nightfur? Snowheart? Grasswhisker? Longclaw?Redfur? How did your apprentices do and what do you think?"

Nightfur went first: "Tigerpaw did very well; catching a sparrow and a big squirrel. She almost caught a mouse, but failed to do so. But not catching the mouse helped her realize that her brown fur would not cooperate with the white snow. She also used the clever technique of bringing a seed to lure the prey out of their holes. Her fighting skills are quick and strong. I believe that ThunderClan would be lucky to have such a great warrior." Nightfur dipped his head.

Snowheart stood up. "Amberpaw is a fantastic hunter. She caught four mice, each with a special technique; stalking, nipping, trapping, and luring. She would make a fantastic addition to ThunderClan."

Grasswhisker stood beside Snowheart. "Palepaw is a genius at hunting; fighting as well. He caught three mice and a plump pigeon. His fighting moves are smooth and well-balanced. In my opinion, he would be a loyal and great warrior."

Redfur nodded. "Starpaw is phenomenal at hunting and even better at fighting. She mastered each move in a few heartbeats. Her crouch is perfect, and she slinks perfectly. I think she would be a _great _warrior."

Redfur's green eyes flashed dangerously and Stonestar swallowed nervously.

Skyfur nodded. "Dustpaw is a brilliant fighter and a great hunter."

Tigerpaw knew Skyfur was extremely proud of her apprentice, but the she-cat like to go straight to topic and not fiddle with details.

Longclaw pushed past Snowheart and puffed out his chest. "Saberpaw would be the greatest warrior of all! His fighting moves are phenomenal and-… so are his hunting moves. He caught a mouse! He would be the best warrior of all!"

Stonestar looked a bit embarrassed. "Okay… Um…" he started over: "These apprentices have earned their warrior names. Saberpaw, please step up."

Saberpaw stepped up, chin high, chest forward and puffed.

"Saberpaw. From this moment on you shall be known as Saberfang. StarClan honors y-your loyalty and bravery." He pressed his muzzle to Saberfang's head. Saberfang stepped back, pride lighting his eyes.

"Starpaw. From this moment on you will be known as Starclaw. StarClan honors your modesty and power." He copied his move earlier and Starclaw stepped back.

"Palepaw. From this moment on you shall be known as Palescar. Your name will be a reminder for how much you are willing to sacrifice to your Clan." Stonestar gently put his muzzle on Palescar's head. "StarClan honors your cleverness and kindness." Palescar stepped back, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Dustpaw. From this moment on, you will be known as Dustfur. StarClan honors your quiet authority and optimism." Stonestar repeated his move. Dustfur stepped back, his fur spiked in pride.

"Amberpaw. From this moment on, you shall be known as Amberfoot." Stonestar dipped his muzzle on to Amberfoot's head. "StarClan honors your gentleness and great skills." Amberfoot padded back, her eyes shining.

"Tigerpaw. From this moment on, you shall be known as Tigersoul, in memory of great Bravesoul." Stonestar lowered his muzzle until it touched Tigersoul's head. "StarClan honors your courage and hope." Tigersoul took a deep breath, and then retreated.

"Oh, my kits!" Darkshade's purr jolted her.

Tigersoul pressed against her mother, Amberfoot at her side. Dustfur pushed his muzzle against their mother's muzzle.

"We'll make you proud," Tigersoul promised.

Amberfoot nodded. Darkshade tenderly licked each of them on the head. "Do that," she murmured, padding away.

"Tigersoul!" Nightfur's hearty meow came from somewhere to over her left. She turned to see him striding up.

"You'll be a fine warrior; I know it," he commented.

"Usually leaders do the warrior ceremony at sundown, but… well; it was just a good time."

Tigersoul nodded.

"Now, remember, you cannot eat during the vigil, but you can get a drink of water from the snow. If someone starts to nod off, nudge him/her awake. No talking. If you see something, watch it closely, and if it's a cat, fox, et cetera, yowl for help or warn Stonestar," Nightfur reminded her.

Tigersoul nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sun-Down~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tigersoul settled herself and stared at the entrance of camp. The sun was sinking gracefully over the trees, staining the clouds a pinkish-orange. She sat straight up, staring at the sky, which was just beginning to reveal the bright stars.

_Bravesoul… If you can hear me, guide my paws to the right path. Thank you. _

Tigersoul bit back tears.

After a moments of waiting, the sun disappeared and the moon shone in the sky. Amberfoot, beside her, stared forwards. Palescar was looking into the forest. Saberfang was washing himself, completely relaxed. Tigersoul stifled a snarl. This was a _vigil_, not bedtime. Saberfang looked at her and smirked, obviously trying to annoy her. Tigersoul tore her gaze from his taunting eyes and looked at the camp entrance. She watched shadows slide back and forth. One looked like a pine tree, another cedar, the next a fox… Wait, fox? Tigersoul slid over to Amberfoot and pointed to the shadow. Amberfoot nodded and slapped the dirt with her tail; it made a quiet thud. All the cats looked up, and Amberfoot pointed to the shadow. Palescar nodded and kinked his tail over his back. He carefully walked towards the shadow, paw light and as quiet as a mouse. Suddenly, Saberfang pushed in front of Palescar. Saberfang stomped towards the fox-shadow, hissing. The shadow shifted to reveal four foxes. One of the foxes let out a screech and leaped towards the patrol. The others slithered out of sight.

"You _IDIOT!_" Tigersoul shouted to Saberfang.

"Fox! Four foxes!" Palescar yowled.

Dustfur knocked one fox aside, his broad frame driving it away.

Warriors streamed from their dens and fought three foxes. But where was the fourth? Suddenly, Tigersoul heard a scream from the nursery. She ran towards the den and burst through. Applefur was cornered by the leader fox, its muzzle a bloody mess. In the other corner, Foxkit lay shivering, a horrid bite-mark on her flank. Tigersoul screeched, clawing at the fox. The fox snarled and scratched her flank. Applefur, suddenly renewed with energy, raked the fox's eyes. It stumbled out of the den, disappearing from sight.

Applefur collapsed immediately, moaning. "Russetkit! My precious Russetkit!"

"What happened to Russetkit?" Tigersoul demanded. Applefur stood shakily up to reveal a small red kit, bleeding heavily from her throat. The kit was still and lifeless. Tigersoul gave a gasp of horror.

"Applefur, calm Foxkit. If she dies of shock, what will happen?" Tigersoul asked.

Trembling, Applefur picked up Russetkit and Foxkit by the scruff and carried them to the medicine den. Tigersoul followed her into the den. Yellowstone was treating a large black cat. Applefur lay her kits at Yellowstone's paws and fell down, stricken by grief. Yellowstone paused and looked at the kits. His breathing grew fast and he carefully laid the kits on a large, smooth stone.

"Silverpaw! Three balls of soaked moss! Dock, poppy seeds, and if we have, dried oak leaf!" He commanded.

Silverpaw bounded out of the shadows; holding a few leaves.

Yellowstone carefully applied the leaves, carefully tending to Foxkit and pausing to give her a comforting lick once in a while.

"She'll push through," Yellowstone said quietly. "But _no _playing for at least three sunrises. And keep her on softer foods. The fox, when it swiped its paw at her, almost broke her jaw. No permanent damage, but it can happen if she's too rough with it before it heals."

Applefur nodded. "Thank you, Yellowstone. Thank you."

"Tigersoul, I need to treat you now. Minor, but those scratches could become infected."

Tigersoul sighed and flopped down. Yellowstone put a few herbs on her wound and told her to find her new nest.

_New nest! _Tigersoul was thrilled and momentarily forgot about the pain.

Stonestar walked over, his pelt a ragged, bloody mess.

"Stone! Stonestar, don't just shamble all over the place," Yellowstone chided the leader.

Tigersoul quickly remembered that the two toms were brothers.

"Now, now. I need to fix you _i-mme-di-at-ly_." Yellowstone stretched the word and went to work.

"Oh, and Tigersoul?"

Tigersoul turned to see Stonestar straining to twist his neck to look at her.

"Well, there's no room in the warrior den, so I'm afraid you and your siblings will have to sleep in the apprentice's den tonight, along with your friends. Tell 'em that, please. But I want you to create a patrol of able-bodied cats to make the warrior's den larger. Feel free to destroy the entrance and sides to make it larger."

"Okay!" Tigersoul replied brightly.

**Heh, sorry I ended it on that. Boring ending, I know, I know. I just didn't want to write any more. *ducks face in ashamedednishish***

**So Reply to reviews**

**Mossfire16: Your cat will appear in the next chappie (I think)**

**Awesome: Yeah, Sorta like the Bramble/Tiger 'experience'**

**Awesome: Lilypaw needs a warrior name, so I'm making her **_**slightly **_**younger until you tell me her name b/c she can't have an app. Name while being a warrior.**

**Thia Superstar: You'll find out at the next gather-update**

**Foxstar – Leader of FoxClan: Please submit only constructive criticism, positive reviews, or cats.**

**Supernova750: Thank you, thank you. Sorry, no autographs.., Yeah, Palescar is going to be a main charrie SOON**

**Supernova750: Yes, battle. *shakes head sadly* **


	13. Chapter 12

Tigersoul huffed as she fixed the new warriors' den. It was now twice as large and smelled good, like crisp pines and snow. Plus, she added an extra-thick roof so the den was warmer. Amberfoot walked up to her with moss.

"Here," she panted.

Tigersoul nodded. "Thanks."

Tiger soul went into the large, dark den and spread the moss and shaped it into bedding. The den was finished. Selecting a nest in front of the den, she curled into it, making sure it was comfortable.

"'Kay, done," she mumbled to herself.

A quiet sob came from the leaders den; Tigersoul remembered that Applefur was still grieving. But why grieve at the leaders den? Sudden wish to be at the leaders den pulsed through her. But she could only be at the leaders den if she was leader. She imagined it—her there every night, with a healthy clan, her being the one leading it. Instead of a certain gray leader… Wait… Wasn't Saberfang gray too? There was a connection there. She padded over to the elders den; only Flowerpetal remained there now. Her denmates had traveled to StarClan during the battle.

"Flowerpetal?" she called softly, not wanting to disturb the elderly cat if she was sleeping.

"Come in, dear," came the raspy reply.

Tigersoul walked in, licking the elder's head. "I have a question," she mewed, sitting across from Flowerpetal.

"Yes?"

"Is there any… _connection _between Saberpaw—I mean Saberfang and Stonestar?" Tigersoul asked cautiously.

"Oh… You didn't know?…Saberfang is Stonestar son."

Tigersoul stifled a gasp. Son? Her head spun.

"Yes, dear. Most cats don't know that." She flicked her tail. "Well, when Stonestar was deputy, he had a beautiful mate; her name was Doveheart. Very pretty. All the toms chased her around, even though Stonestar—Stoneclaw at the time, was her mate. Doveheart was a delicate, graceful silver tabby with shining lake-blue eyes. Finally was the time when she was expecting his kits. But there was something wrong. Blood. Lots of blood. Doveheart died, along with one of her kits, whom they planned to name 'Lionkit'. Stoneclaw was heartbroken, and still is. He named Saberfang after one of the big cats, too. He refuses to acknowledge Saberfang as his son because he knows cats will scorn him if Saberfang is chosen as deputy. Saberfang doesn't know that Stoneclaw is his father."

Tigersoul let the gasp escape her this time; she was horrified.

"Thank you," she said, walking out.

Shaken by her knowledge, she went to Stonestar's den, which Applefur was exiting.

"Can I come in?" Tigersoul asked.

"Yes; of course," Stonestar meowed from inside.

"I'm done with the den. Can I do anything else?"

"Nah, just relax," Stonestar told her. "Take a nap."

Tigersoul nodded. "Okay."  
She exited the den, heading to her nest. Locating it, she curled up, and dead tired, fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was dawn. Someone nudged her.

"Wake up… Tigersoul. Wa-ake u-up."

Tigersoul looked up to see Starclaw. The new warrior was opening up to her, not totally best friends, but definitely buddies. Tigersoul yawned and gave herself a quick grooming.

"We need to go on a hunting patrol. Just us," Starclaw informed Tigersoul.

"Okay," the brown tabby replied, yawning again.

They walked out, snacking on a mouse each.

Tigersoul smiled, trying to break the icy silence. "Race ya to the lake?" she challenged Starclaw.

Starclaw smiled back. "Big mistake."

They raced to the winning, Tigersoul winning by a fox-length. _Because of the Dark For…. Don't think about it. Not now._

Starclaw nodded. "I'll go to the Lake-side. You go wherever." With that, she sped off to the lake.

Tigersoul paused for a moment and looked around her. Snow lightly fell on to the icy-slick floor and icicles clung to the trees. _The best place to go, _she decided_, would be a thick part of the forest because prey feel more protected in places with 'hiding' places._

Tigersoul rubbed her paw on the ground before her; icy but turning soft with the falling snow. She glided forwards, her paws sliding smoothly against the ground. Lifting her face just slightly, she inhaled the cool air. _Ice, snow, frost, water, nothing. _

"Hmph," she mumbled aloud.

_Oh! Hearing! _Tigersoul pricked her ears and heard small scuttling sounds, along with the soft _shhh _sound of snow falling

Narrowing her eyes, she followed the sound to a frozen birch tree, and caught sight of a sparrow. Bunching her muscles, she sprang and caught the bird. Now that it was in her mouth, she sighed. It was scrawny, maybe only enough to fill little Foxkit's stomach. Until Sundown, she caught nothing except for another mouse.

_Be grateful, _she reminded herself harshly. A faint sound of her name distracted her. Pricking her ears, she followed the sound to Starclaw. The other warrior held a fat snow rabbit.

"Let's go," Starclaw mumbled through the rabbit's bulk.

They walked in a comfortable silence, peaceful and friendly. When they got back, Nightfur's eyes lit up at the sight of the fat rabbit.

"Wow! Great job, Starclaw! That'll feed Applefur, Foxkit and Flowerpetal and maybe leftover!" the black warrior exclaimed.

"Tigersoul, can you bring that sparrow to the fresh-kill pile, but warm it with your breath? Oh and bring the mouse," he continued.

Tigersoul nodded and huffed warm air on the small sparrow. In Leafbare, nothing was 'gross'; every bit of warm, shared food was a gift. After a while, she prodded the sparrow with a paw; it was warmer. Satisfied, she searched for the fresh-kill hole, and buried it and the mouse under the frozen dirt.

"Hey, it's been a hard day. You can sleep," Stonestar said with a friendly nudge.

"Thanks, Stonestar!" Tigersoul called, already making a bee line towards the den.

Finally in her nest, she flopped into the freezing moss. After tossing and turning, she fell into a deep sleep.

Opening her eyes, Tigersoul found herself close to a bright, warm, green forest. Gasping, she ran to it, only to crash into an unseen wall. Shock filled her, making her heart pound. Closing her eyes tightly, she rammed her shoulder into it. Again, the strange wall blocked her. Opening her eyes, she suddenly noticed that the forest was glittering… like stars.

_No! StarClan… I can't get in?_

Determined to find an exit, she turned around to see a terribly scarred tortoiseshell she-cat towering over her. Smirking, the cat waved her tail, which was kinked in three places, towards the gray forest behind her.

"So nice to meet you," the cat purred, "we've been expecting you."

**Oooh, Tigersoul is in big trouble!  
Anonymous: Oops! I was just thinking about names at that point. AFTER I published this to FF, I realized that. Sorry!**

**Anonymous: Thanks! Yep, Duskstorm will be in the next chappie.**

**Supernova750: I'm glad. ;) I've been trying to make up funny parts, but I can't think of any really **


End file.
